NICU nurse, Amanda Strohl, went above and beyond in the care of our daughter during her stay and while it is hard to pinpoint exactly one reason why I will do my best to be concise. Born at 24 weeks gestation, our daughter has had an amazing team to get her through her long and difficult journey, but Amanda has stood out to us. During the three and a half months that our daughter has been in the hospital, the only day I have been unable to be with her was during a blizzard. I called in every three hours to check on her while a very patient Amanda answered each time. Amanda went above her duty to call me before leaving her shift to reassure me and was amazing. We were reassured every time Amanda had our daughter. She even cuddles with her when she is upset and knows I can't be with her. Amanda has always taken her time to make us feel secure when handling our very tiny bundle of joy. When our daughter was born at 1lb 6oz she taught us how to touch her and safely change her diaper. Her father had trembling hands when he approached her but settled in very nicely when Amanda confidently showed him, hands-on, what to do. Even when he was terrified to feed her for the first time, Amanda got him through it.
Amanda is the staff member who has had the most interaction with our daughter over her time at the hospital, our daughter even responds to Amanda's voice. There has not been one day, one concern, or one milestone where we have not felt completely at ease knowing that Amanda has our whole world in her hands. While we will be eternally grateful to the staff at Lehigh Valley Hospital, there will always be a special place in our hearts for Amanda and the amazing care she has shown not only our daughter but our entire family.